we're a film incubatormake movies with us

accelerate your expertise

Improve your filmmaking skills by taking a "learn by doing" approach to making movies. Beginners to Experts welcome.

get connected

Network with local filmmakers. If you're looking to meet, network, or work with filmmakers, Scary Cow is the place to find them.

make movies

We're all about making films. We work together on each other's films, leveraging our collective skills, equipment, and resources.

member stats

worked on a scary cow film that went on to be in a film festival

69% of members

increased the amount of time spent filmmaking after joining scary cow

91% of members

saw an improvement in their filmmaking skills after joining scary cow

98% of members

would recommend scary cow to people interested in filmmaking

100% of members

pitch

Every Scary Cow film starts with a pitch. Any member can pitch their idea to the rest of the herd and the ideas that attract the crew get made. Any genre, any topic.

We have pitch meetings every two months, a writer's group to help you refine your story, and classes to help you perfect your pitch.

produce

Now it's magic time. Once you get your crew, you're on the fast path to making your film. Scary Cow is filled with the people who can help - from equipment to skills, everyone is working together to make the best film possible.

Whatever skills you're looking to improve, there are plenty of opportunities to do so. With an average of 30 films concurrently in production you're bound to learn a lot - fast.

screen

Every film that goes through Scary Cow is screened at the majestic Castro Theatre in San Francisco. There's nothing quite like seeing your masterpiece up on the big screen for everyone to see.

We give out $10,000 at every screening to the films deemed best by the audience to help fund your future films. Screenings happen every four months so there's plenty of opportunities to shine.

373

films made

Many of our films have gone on to be screened at well known festivals such as Slamdance, Palm Springs, SF Indie Fest, and many more.

250000

budget dollars granted

We give out $30,000 every year to help our filmmakers make their films. The top 30% of films screened typically win budget dollars.

289

active filmmakers

With that many filmmakers currently active in Scary Cow, you can be sure there's always a crew for you to join.